The last displaced township in China's Three Gorges reservoir area in central Hubei Province finished the evacuation of its residents and dismantling of buildings on Tuesday, paving the way for a water-level rise.

The displacement of Gaoyang Town in Xingshan County began in August 2004. In total, 988 households in the township and rural areas have been displaced, according to the local government.

Some 850,000 square meters of buildings were dismantled. The garbage clean-up efforts have also ended.

The completion of the displacement in the Three Gorges reservoir paved the way for a rise in the water level from 156 meters to 175 meters.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2008)